Who can qualify for the World Cup this week? England among teams who can punch ticket for 2026 FIFA finals originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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For some nations, qualification to the FIFA World Cup every four years is a baseline expectation of the fanbase.

Other countries, however, will be thrilled to find themselves in the field every four years — or at all.

The opportunity is better than ever to make that happen as the 2026 World Cup will be the first in history expanded all the way to 48 participants at the final tournament hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The Sporting News walks you through who has already been confirmed to participate at next summer’s showcase, and who could clinch a place soon with many spots still up for grabs.

A reminder: a reference to a “magic number” means any combination of points gained by the team in question, or points dropped by the side directly below them, would secure a place at the finals.

MORE:How the 2026 World Cup draw will work and who is sorted into which pot

Who can qualify for the World Cup this week?

JUMP TO: Europe | Africa | North and Central America | Teams already qualified

Here, The Sporting News breaks down how the qualification picture looks across the different federations.

Some, like CONCACAF, have concluded their qualifying phases. Others, such as UEFA, have plenty at stake.

UEFA

The following European nations are in a position to officially qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the October international break, with a specific set of results required.

They are listed in estimated order of perceived likelihood by which the required results will come to pass.

England

England will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• England defeat Latvia AND Serbia drop any points vs. Albania or Andorra, OR…
• England draw with Latvia AND Serbia draw with Albania AND Serbia do not beat Andorra

England are on the doorstep of World Cup qualification in the October international break. If they defeat Latvia, they are, as the golfers would say, dormie.

If Serbia also manage to pick up maximum points this break, England would not be able to officially clinch, but they would be all but in, with their “magic number” at just one point.

Norway

Norway will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Norway defeat Israel AND Italy drop any points vs. Estonia or Israel

Norway are in the same spot as England, as a win over Israel would put them at dormie over Italy. Their “magic number” would drop to just one, meaning any dropped points by Italy would confirm their spot.

Portugal

Portugal will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Portugal defeat Republic of Ireland and Hungary, AND Armenia drop any points vs. Hungary or Republic of Ireland

Two wins for Portugal in October would leave them needing just a single dropped point by Armenia to put them officially through to next summer’s tournament.

Switzerland

Switzerland will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Switzerland defeat Sweden and Slovenia, AND Kosovo drop points vs. Slovenia or Sweden

A pair of victories for Switzerland in October would put them on the doorstep, and they could walk through the qualification door if Kosovo fail to have a perfect international break.

France

France will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• France defeat Azerbaijan and Iceland, AND Iceland draw vs. Ukraine, OR…
• France defeat Azerbaijan and Iceland, AND Ukraine defeat Iceland, AND Azerbaijan defeat Ukraine

France need a perfect October international window to put them in position to officially qualify for the World Cup, but they need some help from the other results as well. It’s certainly possible that either of the above pathways become reality.

Spain

Spain will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Spain defeat Georgia and Bulgaria, AND Turkey drop points vs. Bulgaria, AND Turkey draw with Georgia

Spain need a very specific set of results to officially qualify in October. Most likely, they will need to wait until November to confirm their place.

Slovakia

Slovakia will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Slovakia defeat Northern Ireland and Luxembourg, AND Germany drop points vs. Luxembourg, AND Germany draw vs. Northern Ireland

Like Spain, Slovakia require two wins and a particular set of results in order to qualify this month. They will likely need to wait until November.

Croatia

Croatia will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Croatia defeat Gibraltar, AND Czechia drop points vs. Faroe Islands
• Croatia draw vs. Gibraltar, AND Czechia lose vs. Faroe Islands

Croatia may put themselves on the brink of World Cup qualification in October, but it’s highly unlikely that Czechia fail to beat lowly Faroe Islands, so this will almost certainly have to wait until November to become a reality.

CAF

The following African nations are in a position to officially qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the October international break, with a specific set of results required.

They are listed in estimated order of perceived likelihood by which the required results will come to pass.

Ghana

Ghana will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Ghana avoid defeat vs. Comoros AND Madagascar do not beat Mali.

Ghana are almost there. With a three-point lead over Madagascar in second, they need only avoid defeat to Comoros to be certain of qualifying. Madagascar must win against Mali and hope Ghana lose if they are to have any chance of snatching first place in Group I.

Cape Verde

Cape Verde will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Cape Verde defeat Eswatini, OR…
• Cameroon do not defeat Angola

Cape Verde would have qualified had they beaten Libya on October 8, but a surprise 3-3 draw opened the door to Cameroon. However, the Blue Sharks need only defeat Eswatini — ranked 159th in the world — to secure a first ever place at the World Cup finals.

Senegal

Senegal will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Senegal defeat South Sudan, AND Congo DR drop any points vs. Togo

Like Ghana, Senegal just need to take care of business themselves and then get a bit of help from Togo to confirm a place at next summer’s tournament.

Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Ivory Coast defeat Seychelles, AND Gabon lose to The Gambia

Ivory Coast need a little more help than Ghana and Senegal alongside a win of their own if they are to clinch a World Cup place in October, needing Gabon to lose their concurrent match.

CONCACAF

The following CONCACAF nations are in a position to officially qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup during the October international break, with a specific set of results required.

Both CONCACAF nations with a chance to clinch a spot have convoluted scenarios to lock down a place, and will almost surely have to wait a bit longer to secure a spot.

As a reminder, USA, Canada and Mexico automatically qualified as host nations.

Honduras

Honduras will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Honduras defeat Costa Rica and Haiti, AND Nicaragua vs. Haiti and Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua end in draws

Honduras are not quite there yet and will probably need to wait until November. They have not beaten Costa Rica over 90 minutes since World Cup qualifying in October 2013.

Jamaica

Jamaica will qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if:

• Jamaica defeat Curacao and Bermuda, AND Curacao vs. Trinidad & Tobago is a draw, AND Trinidad & Tobago drop points vs. Bermuda

The set of results Jamaica need to qualify feels a little too unlikely. However, they will hope to win both their games this month, putting them in a strong position to qualify in November.

Teams already qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Places still to be determined at the 2026 FIFA World Cup